A-lure-ing: What are they biting today?

On the surface it looks like nothing more than bent metal. To a fish, however, the piece of metal, painted white with red polka dots, represents dinner.

It's called a lure.

And it could be anything from a molded fish with the fat lip, a soft plastic grub with twisty tails, all-natural looking edible worms, or a creation of feathers, thread and elk hair flies. To a fish, they all represent dinner.

The question then becomes, which of the thousands of artificial lures and flies, including crankbaits, spinners, wobblers, jerk baits, plastics and assortment of flies happens to be the most appealing to a particular fish on a certain day?

To the average fishermen, scanning a wall of lures available at a tackle shop is akin to looking at a bottle of assorted Jelly Bellys and picking a favorite.

More often than not, names don't always help. Not with names like Gitzit, Swedish Pimple, Senko, Shorty, Double Whammy, Dardevel, Jitterbug, Rat-L-Trap, Zara Spook, Jig-and-Pig, Mister Twister, Gulp, Wedding Ring, Husky Jerk, Super Floozy, Sumo Frog, Black Fury, Triple Teazer, Chug Bug and Tasmanian Devil, to name but a few.

Then, of course, there are the different types.

According to Byron Gunderson, owner of Fish Tech Outfitters:

• Crankbaits are made to either sink when retrieved or stay suspended at the desired depth chosen by the fishermen or to remain on the surface.

• Jerk baits are meant, as the name implies, to be retrieved in a jerking stop-and-go action.

• Spinner baits have a spinning action that attracts fish and can be fished anywhere, top to bottom.

• Wobblers have a side-to-side action.

• Plastic lures have an alive feel and best resemble a bunch of tasty foods, ranging from worms to crayfish to smaller fish.

"And you never know what will work on a certain day. It could be a particular color. It could be a particular lure. It could be how deep the fish are. It could be one thing one day and something totally different the next," he said.

"The secret is to try different things until you find something that works."

Probably one of the most recognized lures is a red-and-white, oblong piece of metal called the Dardevel. The cast-and-retrieve lure is as effective today for most all Utah species as it was when first introduced a century ago.

Mack's Double Whammy is really a spinner with two trailing hooks. To the fishermen, it looks like a thin red pencil with a piece of hammered brass or nickel dangling from the top. To a fish, it's food.